A trip to the new Barnes & Noble on 86th Street is like journeying to the center of the universe since the main floor is about three escalator rides down but I had missed the deadline for same day delivery in Manhattan so I made the trek. They ended up not having what I wanted but I did find a lovely book called Dreaming in French by Megan McAndrew. It's a coming of age story set in Paris and New York in the 1970's and 80's that is thoughtful and intelligent and hard to put down. The family dynamic aspects make it especially perfect to take along on your trip home for the holidays. Sometimes it take a tome about a family more messed up than your own to make you realize that maybe yours isn't so bad after all! Happy reading!